Spring-testing machine



Sept. 14 1926. 1,600,168

C. H. HAPGOOD SPRING TESTING MACHINE Filed Jan. '7, 192i 2 Sheets-Sheet l l. 4 6.6. y 45kg@ 3313' Sep1.14,1926.v I Y 1,600,168

C. H, HAPGOOD SPRING TESTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 7, 1921 l 2 Sheets-Shee 2 EIIIIIIIINIIIII @liked/11mg y 'J the testin Patented Sept. 14, 1926.

` UNITED STATES CLARENCE n. HAPGoon, or TOLEDO,

e TOLEDO,

OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO OHIO, A CORPORATION OF `NEW JERSEY.

TOLEDO SCALE COMPANY, OF

SPRING-TESTING MACHINE.

Application led January 7, 1921. Serial No. 435,616.

. This invention relates to testing machines, and particularly to machines for te ting the flexibility of springs. Whens rxgsl are employed in pairs or sets, it is o e important vthat the resistance odered to any given degree -of iexure or distortion be thevsame for each spring of the set.,l force required to bend to a given extent the springs employed in supporting automobile bodies sometimes varies several hundred pounds, even though the springs be identical in appearance. lVhen the springs on opposite sides of the body are not equally resistant to fiexure, unpleasant lateral movements occur in traveling over uneven'roads, these movements sometimes being sufficiently violent to capsize the vehicle.

One of the objects of this .'nvention is the provision of means for automatically de- .termining the bending moment of a spring for any given degree 'of ilexure.,

Another object is to provide a spring testing device having adjustable means for indieatingA distortion and co-acting automatic means for indicating stress. v

Another object is the provision of means for permitting free elongation of semi-elliptic or cantilever springs as they are bent 1n machines. y Other o jects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, 1n which reference is had to the accompanying drawings illustrating'preferred embodiments of my invention and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts -throughout the several views. a

In the drawings: i

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a spring testing machine embodying my invention ar- 40 ranged for testin semi-elliptic springs;

Figure 2 is a ront elevation of the machine arranged for testing cantilever or quarter-elliptic springs, part of the base vbeing broken away; v n

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view,

partly4 in section, showing a bracket` for ivotally attaching a semi-elliptic spring 'older to the base; 4 v

Figure 4 is anenlargedsectional view of 'a hand wheel for turnin afbending 'jack,;

showin a micrometery sca e` supporting ring:

attache thereto; v l z Figure ,5 'is a sectional view through "9.

The amount of v ably, though not necessarily,

-bracket V9 is boltedu member rotatably mounted upon the upper end of the bending jack and adapted to enga e vthe center of a semi-ellipticl spring;

igure 6- is a sectional view of a similar member 'adapted to engage the end of .a quarter-elliptic spring; l

yFigure 7 is a vertical sectional view of the upper end of a stand adapted to su port 'a quarter-elliptic spring, showing a c amp for;1 holding one end of the spring rigid; an f Figure 8 is a side elevation of a vertical scale showing the means whereby it is adjustably secured to the jack.

Referring to the drawings in detail,the base 1 supports an automatic scale prefer"- of the type shown and described in my coending application Ser. No. 367,207, filed) March 19, 1920. Since any preferred form of automatic weighing scalesvmay the testing device forming the subject matter of this application. I will describe the be employed in weighing scale only in such detail as will A serve to show its relation to the rest of the combination. As illustrated, it consists i of a base housing 2 with an overlying latform 3 supported upon suitable plat orm levers (not show-1).'` At theA rear end of the basehousing is an upright housing 4 indicats'upporting the load-offsetting and which consists in part of ing mechanism, one or more tare in partGA of lautomatic counterbalancing mechanism (not shown) connected to an iandicator hand7 which cooperates with a ial 8.

In the arrangement shownin Figure 1, a.

1, the heads ofthe olts being laced in- T- shaped 'grooves' (as shownsin i that the brackets may be adjuste laterally, and' each bracket pivotally supports a. link 10 which .eXtendssubstantially vertically when-in use; Sto lugs orpins 11 prevent the links 10 from alling to either side when not in use thus holding them in position to be,V readilyfattachedtothe ends of semi-eL. liptic springs Sito be tested. When a s ring is thus attached to theends of the li 10 its intermediateportionlies above the plat.- formf.` E, l

, 'Lilounted upon ,the platform 3 is a bending beams 5 and poises Gand on each end of the base,

ure3) so ported by the jack 13 which consists of a stand'14 into which is threaded a vertically extendin jack screw 15 having a surrounding hand wheel 16 xed thereon. The hand wheel 16 carries a plurality of depending brackets 17 .to which fixed a groove annulus 18 having a rinfr 19 mounted in the roove so that it may be manually rotated ut is 'prevented by friction from turning accidentally. The ring 19 bears a micrometer scale which co-v operates Iin the well-known manner with aunit scale on an upright 20 adjustablyjsecured to the stand 14.

Upon the'upper` end ofthe jack'screw y15 is a rotatably mountedcap 21 adapted, when the screw is turned up, to engage the lower side of the spring to be tested intermediate its ends, bearing balls 22 being interposed between the cap and the upper end of the screw to reduce friction. It will be apparent thatwhen the cap 21 is held stationary, it provides a bearing for the rotation of the iack screw. The spring to be tested may be first placed upon the scale and the poise 6 moved out on the beam 5 a suiiicient distance to bring the indicating hand 7 back to zero. The weight` of the spring may, if desired, thus be counterbalanced on the beam and the hand and dial employed to indicate lthe net force required to flex the spring to any given degree. After being weighed and counterbalanced by the poise 6, the spring is attached to the links 10 with the convex side down. Since the spring is now suplinks 10, the weight is removed trom the'platform and the hand 7 will dro back of zero. The jack screw is now turne up by means of thehand wheel until the cap 21 engages thespring ly to bring the indicator tofzero, thus showing theweight of the spring to be sup orted 1n' inches and fractions 'Y stand 23 is bolted to the base `lng up the screw the by the jack on the scale platform an indicating that no bending stress has yet been applied. The u right 20 and the ring 19 are then adjuste to zero. By further turns ring may be iexed to any desired degree, tllie amount of iexure tively on the scales of the upright 20 and the ring 19,! and`I thefbendingjmoment bein automatically indicated onv the dial by the position of the hand 7. A

The elongation of the sprin is permitted by the swinging 'movement o the links 10. By the use of my testing device hidden defects in springs, as well as the characteristics of the usable springs, are made ap arent, so that defective springs may be 'reJected or similar springs may be paired.4 When my device is to be used for quarter-elliptic springs, one of the brackets 9 with its link 10 is removed and a rigid in its plaeel The stand 23 is provided with an overhanging arm 24 having a vertically-extending and lifts it sulicientd 1 sorting or classifying springs,

being shown resp'ecgidisclosed are combination,

pin extends downwardly from the jaw to engage the bolt hole in the thick end of a quarter-elliptic spring when such a 'spring is clamped between the jaw 27 and the upper end of the stand 23.

Since the stand 23 is rigid, the elongation of the spring is taken'care of at its other end. A cap 3() having a horizontally-slidable member 31 mounted in a groove in its upper face is substituted for the cap 21 upon the jack screw, bearing balls being interposed between the cap 30 and member 31 to reduce the friction to a minimum.

In testing a quarter-elliptic spring, the band 7 is brought to zero by moving the poise 6 to counterbalance the extra weight of the cap 30. The spring is then clamped to the stand 23 and the jack screw is turned up until the member 31 engages, but doesr not stress, the loop on the'end of the spring. The upright 20 and ring 19 are then set at zero. The jack screw is then further turned up to leX the spring to any desired degree,

s the pressure is put upon the scale platform it moves slightly -downwardly so that 1 for springs ication on the scale 20 is not an absolutely true indication of the amount of distortion of the spring. The difference is very slight, however, and when the scale is used in the manner described in the specification for springs of the same strength will give abso utely the same indication both on the dial of the scale and on the scale 2O and ring 19.

While itl will be apparent-that the illus,- trated embodiments of my invention herein well calculated to adequately fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that the invention is suscepti ble to variation, modification and change within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claims. Having described my invention, I claim; L In a device for testing leaf springs, in means for bending al spring, including means connected to an end of such spring to ermit longitudinal movement of such end), adjustable means for in-A dicating the amount of ilexure of vsuch ring, and automatic means for indicating e co n bending moment.

ofdiiferent thicknesses the i.n'

a. devi 'of un. dass describa?, in iso i combination, a bending jack,

- combination,

of a spring, counterbalancing means a bending jack comprising astand, a member having a scale thereon adjustably attached. to said stand, a jack screw, and a scale-bearing ring adjustably attached to said jack screw.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination, means for offsetting the weigfht bending said spring,'means for indicating the extent of said bending, and means for indicating the net force required' to bend said spring to the extentA indicated.

4. In a device of the class described, in

means for indicating the extent of movement of said jack from any of a plurality' of positions, and automatic load-indicating mechanism connected to said jack. a

5.In a device of the class described, in combination, a` frame member, a load-counterbalancing and indicating scale supported on said frame member, a bending Jack reacting upon said scale, and interchangeable holding means for different types of springs adapted, to be selectively secured to said frame member.4

6. In -a device ofthe class described, in combination, a load-counterbalancing and indicating scale, a bendin jack re-acting upon said scale, said jack including screw, a cap swiveled upon the of the combination,

upon said scale,

a jack jack'screw, and a spring-engaging member slidably mounted on said cap. v

7. InA a device of the classdescribed, in a load-counterbalancing and indicating scale, a bending `jack re-acting said bending jack including a jack screw, upon the end of said jack screw, ball bearings interposed between said cap and jack screw, a spring-engaging member slidably mounted on said cap, and ball bearings inter'posed between said spring-engaging .member and sai-d cap.

8..In a device of the class described, the combination of an automaticy scale having a platform, platform, a spring-engaging member carried by said jack screw, and means for holding the 'ends of the springs said springscale.

9. In a device vof the class described, the combination of an automatic scale having a platform, a jack screw mounted on said platform, a spring-engaging member carried by said jack screw, and means forholding the ends of the. springs, saidv springholding means being adjustably mounted adjacent the scale. v

CLARENCE H. HAPGooD.

a cap rotatably mounted a jack screw-mounted on said holding means being mounted adjacent the 

